Monday, March 24, 2008

Choose the Right Piano

Choosing the right piano brand is important when you make this major purchase. Taking the time to learn about what makes a piano great will help you make a wise decision. Although there are a some major names when it comes to choosing a piano, keep in mind the three "T's":

- Touch
- Tone
- Type
Touch and Tone

Touch and tone are the keys to buying a piano. You want to make sure that you like the action of the keyboard as well as whether you want a "brighter" sounding, or a piano with more bass.

A piano with a light action is going to have a very "touchy" keyboard, you're not going to be able to fiddle around with how loud or softly you play. A firmer action on a keyboard keeps allows you to fool around with the dynamics while building up your finger strength. This may not seem very important, but when you go to play someone else's piano it will make all the difference.

Construction of your piano is important too. This will affect the action of the instrument as well as the tone. Look inside the piano, have the technician on staff explain the differences between piano brands. Don't fall victim to beautiful casework when the insides of the piano are junk.

As far as sound goes, this is totally up to you. Listen to a few pianos before you make you decision. This will be a lot like picking out a t.v. set. Find a piano that has the right touch and the right tone for to inspire you to sit down and play it.

Types of Pianos

When it comes to piano brands, the sky is the limit. Arming yourself with a little knowledge before shelling out the bucks will help you find the best buy.

Be aware that many makers of pianos have different "series" of instruments, each of these differ in quality and price. There are many store brand pianos, these instruments are like the house brand ketchup you might find at your local grocery store; they will do the job, but in the long run they may not be a wise investment.

Monday, March 17, 2008

Buying Music Gear for Home Studios

First of all you need to decide what kind of studio you want. There is a pro studio ideal for recording full bands. This kind of studio can deliver CD master recordings. The other is a project studio, which generally supports recording electronic synths, samplers and maybe a few live players when needed. The quality level meets TV and film standards.

Another form of studio is the home MIDI electronica mainly software studio with at least one or two mics. It could also be a demo or a song writing studio with mics or even just a little hobby studio, or just want to make music studio. All the above mentioned options can be accomplished but there are certain things you also need to look into really carefully before buying music gear.

Avoid buying the same feature over and over again on different pieces of music gear. You may only end up otherwise having a number of preamps, samplers and recorders that you cannot use and they are just an additional expenditure.

Do not buy Cubase and Sonar and try to get them to work together. Or get Sound Forge and Sonar, as these applications will not work at all on a Mac. Therefore, it is advisable to be well versed with the music gear before purchasing them.

The recorder you choose be it a multi track, computer sequencer, or MPC 4000 and MV8800 are the most far reaching decision you can make. But, you have to consider that choice carefully. It is advisable to learn one form and master it, and then you can resort considering buying them.

There are stores that offer 30 days return policy on music gear. This can also be a great idea that makes it real easy for you. Get it for trial and when you find it is perfect for you then only you can opt to buy.

Many people face a lot of difficulties with the software they buy because they do not understand or misread the recommended requirements to run the software. Never buy software if you cannot meet the stated requirements.

When buying a music gear try to stick to the companies that are supremely focused on your computer platform, your operating system and in some cases your motherboard and your CPU. Some soundcard drivers may refuse to work well with some chipsets on some motherboards.

Do a thorough research before buying music gear. Ask questions from your dealer or you will end up spending extra for your digital mixer. Therefore, the price of a piece of gear, which is at a lower price, may mean spending another extra dollars to make it work.

Always buy the latest music gear to avoid future expenditure. Buy the cheaper or a secondary music gear now, and then it will be outdated in some years and you will have to buy the new one and this will cause unnecessary expenditure. It is best to wait a year or two after the release and then buy the finished, mature, stable products. Features may look good on paper but may not sound good in music. If you buy cheap music gear you may just end up buying again.

Besides the above mentioned tips of buying music gear, there are other variables you need to look into, like the cost of service, the upgrades, software and many more. Above all, the bottom line is the sound that should be your prime concern. Focus on the sound coming out of the speakers. Great sound never goes out of style.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Snare Drum Buying Guide

The snare drum contains:
A shell or circular body. A top "batter" head and a bottom ultra-thin clear head. Chrome hoops (rims) that fasten the heads to the shell. Tension rods that screw into lug casings, these are used to tighten the rim onto the shell. Snare wires. A throw-off apparatus.

Whatever drum you buy make certain that the snare (thin metal strings on the bottom of the drum) are intact and that the throw-off lever on the side of the drum works properly. The throw-off is a chrome apparatus found on the side or the shell of the snare drum. It contains a lever that snaps the snare wires up against the bottom drumhead or releases them so that they hang about 1/8" below the head. When the throw-off or strainer is in the up position, you will hear the buzz of the snare wires. When the throw-off is in the sideways position, the drum will sound similar to a high-pitched tom-tom.

Tom-toms are similar to snare drums in that they have two heads fastened to a shell. They do not contain snare wires though. They also differ from the snare drum in their function. When checking the snare strainer, make sure that you can turn the snares on and off without too much effort. Also, make sure that the snares tighten and release quietly. If you do not get this on-off effect at all, it may simply mean that the snare wires are too loose. All quality snare drums have an adjustment knob that is part of the throw-off apparatus. If the snare is not working properly, try tightening this knob. You should feel the tension increase depending on the direction you turn it. If you turn the knob and it has no effect on the sound of the drum, chances are the apparatus is faulty. Don't buy this drum.

Finally-and this goes for any drum-check to see if the drum has any cracks in the shell and make sure that the rims or hoops that fasten the head to the shell are not bent or dented. Also, make sure that none of the tension rods (screws) are missing, and check that none of the lugs(tension rod casings) are stripped. Don't worry about heads, because these are dispensable. Often the head that comes with your purchase needs replacing anyway. Once upon a time, drumheads were made from calf hides (skin). However, the problem with skins was that they were very difficult to keep in tune due to fluctuations in the weather. They were also not very durable. Now days, we use plastic or Mylar heads on our drums and the most popular head manufacturer is Remo, although Evans and Aquarian make fine heads, too. On the bottom of your snare drum, you must use an ultra-thin clear head. Anything thicker will choke the snare wires and they will not vibrate. Also, you should use only a single-ply "batter" head on the top of your snare drum. The batter head is a rough, sand papery-surfaced head that is designed to give texture to brush strokes. If the head were smooth, brush-ing the head would have little effect. The batter head is also single-ply to allow for a crisper tone and more sustain.

Monday, March 3, 2008

Development of Steel Drums


Earlier the Musical instruments were devised by cutting varying lengths of bamboos. A by product of cultural gaps between the rich and the poor, steel drums have emerged with the musical quality of both the classes.

The early 1930s saw a great evolution in the history of steel drums with metal beating drums. The first pitched metal drum was made out of small metal containers, which were convex in shape. But with time it evolved to a great extent and now it is constructed from a 55 gallon barrel. Steel drums are a recently re-invented addition to the world of musical instruments.

Steel pan music reached new heights in the 19th century when a steel band got the opportunity to perform in common wealth celebrations. This gave steel drummers a new international exposure and gradually it became an established art form, revered by music lovers across the world. Steel drummers are adapting themselves in a varied number of ways to suit different tastes.
Instrumental music can broadly be categorized into the following types

Vocal supported instrumental music
Western instrumental music
Oriental classical music

Instrumental music has been very popular from ancient times. The different traditions of instrumental music have been as followed .

Andalusian classical music
Arab classical music
Gagaku, Gamelan
Classical Korean
The world of music is full of fun and thrills. So, be ready to sway every heart and soul with the lilting tunes of steel drums that are definitely going to jazz up the musical world.

With steel drums you can churn out almost everything ranging from buoyant pop tunes to hip hop music. Steel drums can churn out almost every type of music old, straight, alternative, orthodox as well as modern.
Characteristics of steel drums
Steel drums generally have a very high tempo.
It follows repetitious beats.
Steel drums are a product of western cultural scenario.
It produces high decibel sound.
It provides greater versatility to drummers.
It is capable of producing chromatic range of notes and tones.
Steel drum beats can actually transport you to a new different world of music and acts as a rebellion against established social norms. It can cast a hypnotic spell on its listeners.